The judge excused all three from any further mentions of the case until a pre-trial hearing on November 1, when they are expected to enter a plea to each charge. The case will be mentioned again on May 8.

The 16 charges against each man are linked to loans of 451 million euro in an alleged plot involving the family of bankrupt former billionaire Sean Quinn and a golden circle of clients hand picked to invest in stock to prop up the share price.

The judge said the court was conscious that under present provisions if two people in trial became unavailable for whatever reason, it leaves the jury in a precarious position.

"All it needs is for one more to become unavailable to start again," she said. "If a jury collapses because of the unavailability of jurors, recommencing immediately would be problematic."

Separately, FitzPatrick has been charged and sent forward for trial on 12 counts of giving auditors false or misleading information on directors' loans of at least 140 million euro (£117.7 million) over a six-year period. That case has been adjourned to the Circuit Criminal Court on March 22.